Please Don't Say You Don't Have Time to Pursue Your Goals
"I just don't have the time."That is the number one sentence I hear right after someone tells me about a goal of theirs.
I would lose weight but...
I want to go back to school but...
I want to hang out more with my kids but...
Friends, anyone who knows me knows that I'm the friend you turn to when you're ready to hear the truth. I won't sugarcoat it, and I won't concern myself too much with your feelings, because being straightforward is a much better use of both of our time. So here we go...
"I just don't have the time" is an excuse. You tell that to yourself to justify why you haven't even attempted going after this thing you want. As a matter of fact, you repeat it so much, internally and out loud, that you have really convinced yourself that this thing they call "time" is truly not a thing you possess.
But...aren't there 24 hours in your day? The same 24 hours that are in my day, in Oprah's day, in J.Lo and A. Rod, and Kevin Hart's day?
(Yes, I know that I don't exactly belong in the same category as these people, but don't kill my vibe!)
Here it comes, the truth that you might get mad at me for saying, but I'm going to say it anyway:
You DO have the time...you just aren't managing it well.
AGH! Are you mad? If you are, it's because I'm right (that probably made you more mad, didn't it?)
Be honest with yourself, though. If you really wanted to drop those pounds, or get that degree or dedicate that time to your family, you would make it happen. The question isn't whether or not you have the time, but how you're spending the time that you have.
Ask yourself that question. Where does your day go? Sure, you go to work, you take care of your family, there's some cooking and cleaning involved (dishes and laundry...it's like they never end) but what else? Are you watching 2 hours of TV every night? Are you scrolling Facebook and Instagram for an hour every morning? Did you overbook yourself by saying "yes" to a bunch of things you should've said "no" to?
You know how much this goal means to you. Even your friends and your family know because you are likely bringing it up all the time. Any time you see an IG post about a new workout program, or an ad for getting your degree online...it brings that dream you buried right back up to the surface and you talk yourself out of it before you even have the chance to get excited. "Ehh...I don't have the time."
Why do you do that? It's because it's just easier to make an excuse than actually risk going after something you want and not getting it. Change is hard. New things are challenging, and why on Earth would you want to challenge yourself when you're perfectly fine right where you are?
Or are you?
If you were fine, you wouldn't think about this thing so much.
Now, I know that not everyone is like me. I'm a freak of nature that wants to do way too many things all at once, and it's something that I am actively working on (seriously, I have weekly calls with a girlfriend of mine to keep myself focused on just TWO goals, each with a time limit set for re-evaluation...it's a thing) BUT we are all a work in progress. Everyone has something that they want, that they dream about, and most talk themselves out of it with this excuse, and it's just so silly.
We don't know what tomorrow will bring, friends, so why not live your life the way you really want to live it? The only thing standing between you and that goal that's on your mind is your willingness to MAKE the time to work on it.
A Little Homework Assignment
If I've captured your attention, I want you to do a little activity. Keep a log of how you're spending your time for 3 days. This is kind of like keeping a food diary, but a super short version, because a full week just seems like way too much time.
Write down everything you do for a full 72 hours, from how long it takes you to shower and get dressed in the morning to how often and how long you are staring at the pocket-sized computer we call a phone.
At the end of those three days, go back through your log and HIGHLIGHT pockets of time that could be used to work towards your goal. Ideally, I want you to find 5 hours that you can dedicate to this thing you want to work on. (You can blame Rachel Hollis for this one, I got this idea from her!)
Do NOT freak out. I'm talking about 5 hours in your entire, 7-day week, that can be split up any way you like (one 2-hour session and 6 30-minute sessions, 1 hour each day for 5 days, 7 40-ish minute sessions...you get the picture).
Now...decide how you're going to split up those 5 hours and PUT THEM ON YOUR CALENDAR. Schedule them as if they were a spa appointment, something you would work your life around and not even think about cancelling. Make. It. Happen.
In just two weeks, you will have spent 10 hours working towards your goal, and you will have done it on YOUR time, and you will feel...like you can do absolutely anything.
That's the goal.
If you decide to try this, I would love to hear about how it went! Leave me a comment, or connect with me on:
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